Blast strikes Benghazi 1 year after US consulate bombing

Libyan firefighters work outside a foreign ministry building following a powerful blast on September 11, 2013 in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi. (AFP Photo/Abdullah Doma) / AFP

A bomb explosion has caused serious damage to the Foreign Ministry building in the Libyan city of Benghazi. It comes on the anniversary of the attack on the US consulate in that city which killed the ambassador and three aides.

Witnesses say that the explosion was caused by a car bomb and it
is not yet clear if there are any casualties. Photographs of the
wreckage show a large section of the Foreign Ministry has been
destroyed as well as parts of the nearby local headquarters of
the central bank.

The US diplomatic compound in Benghazi was attacked on September
11 last year by a group of heavily armed militants. The early
morning attack left four Americans dead, including US Ambassador
J. Christopher Stevens. Following the incident Washington
strongly condemned the attack and attributed it to anti-Western
protests in the region.

Washington later reevaluated its assessment of the situation,
stating that the attack was most likely planned in advance by
Al-Qaeda-affiliated militants.

Since last September’s attack, outbreaks of violence have become
more commonplace in Libya, as tensions rise between the
population and the militia groups left behind after assisting in
the ouster of Colonel Gaddafi in 2011.

Libya’s interim government has failed to bring the country’s
militia groups under control over two years after Gaddafi;s
removal. The militia groups are often heavily armed and enforce
their authority in the rural communities where they have
entrenched themselves.

“It is extremely important that the government and the
National Congress are capable of responding to the type of
challenges we have at the moment,” said Abdulaziz, stressing
it is necessary to sure up the Libyan police service to enforce
government authority.